UPF Barcelona School of Management - BSM (reviews)

I am an Erasmus student originally based at Nova Business School in Lisbon, Portugal. I arrived at BSM in January 2022.

Pros: The school is well located within the city centre. Classes are thought by highly skilled professionals such as Venture Capital partners, Investment bankers, Head of consulting firms etc. The classes are very interesting.

Cons: The building is small without many facilities. Classes are composed of a max of 30 people only. The planning can change every week due to the high corporate positions of teachers, this can be a struggle if you need to manage your agenda.

The things I would highlight about this university is the level of the professors, the facilities and the future prospection it gives to its students

The thing I disliked was the methodology of the classes, I would have enjoyed more the sessions if it would have been more dynamic and practical.

I can highly recommend doing this Master because I feel it really prepares oneself for a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Since all professors are currently working in the field they teach about, the content is not just academic but applicable in real life. This is also reflected by the internship program that accompanies the lectures, where pharmaceutical companies in the area offer 6 – 12 months internships exclusively to the students of this master.
Most of my fellow students have an academic background in health science but seek a career in economic departments instead of research and development. Another profile, though in the minority, are marketing professionals of other areas who seek a change of their field.

BSM gives you the opportunity to acquire much knowledge that serves you both professionally and personally. In addition, it gives you the possibility of entering new jobs in higher positions or even changing work areas. For how it makes you grow, for what you learn and for the contacts you reach, I totally recommend it.

I am currently studying a Master, which is more practical, focused on people who have an active working life, teachers are people with more work experience so it gives you more updated and practical information.

This university seems to be very well-organized, personally invested in their students and trying to be a competitive one as well. However, as there are many things that this university has just been doing for a few years, it becomes clear that there is a lot of improvement that can be made. There seems to be an information asymmetry between the professors and the students and therefore it comes across during lectures as if the students are not prepared enough or as if the professors are working their way through the learning materials at lightning speed. Communication here is key. Next to that, BSM is private and UPF is public. The facilities this university (UPF) has are somewhat outdated and that is noticeable for BSM students as well. Moving the classes for instance to the Balmes building, which is modern and BSM’s, would be a wise move.

BSM is part of Pompeu Fabra. Comparing prices with other management schools, even though low price quality is same with other high-level business schools. With the name of Pompeu Fabra, students will be counted as specific people due to their respect to education and school reputation. School had many successful graduates at top positions of global companies. With that, perfect networking is provided to students. Networking level is similar with ESADE, IE or Harvard. Prospective students can consider BSM as one of the best possibilities.

It was a very good experience since all of the teachers have an excellent resume, so the topics are applicable in the world of work. They have modern facilities and books are delivered for each class. I recommend it because it filled my expectations.